Archive for the ‘Juno-Hera’ Category

photo: Bruce Lhuillier

Is it possible the three horned animals who parade around the zodiac each year are telling us something about light? about transformation? about horned gods?

The astrological year begins with Aries the Ram, at the moment of the Spring Equinox, moves with expanding daylight into Taurus the Bull and celebrates the return of the Sun to the Northern Hemisphere with Capricorn the Goat. There is a definite sense of horned light in this parade of the animals. The first horned beast, Aries the ram is sacred to the Sun and Mars. The second Taurus the Bull is sacred to Moon and Venus. Sun and Moon are the two ‘luminaries’ of the chart. The astrological year begins, as do our lives with the light of Father and Mother, Sun and Moon.

Taurus the Bull marks the celebration of the festival of Beltane. The Pleiades, the stellium which decorates the Bull’s neck make this constellation especially important to those who live under the sky. At the season of Taurus the Seven Sisters arise with the Sun. This was the beginning of the sailing season on the Mediterranean. In Northern countries, Taurus marks the arrival of the Green Man, bursting with greenery and light where green has been absent for the winter months!

Bruce Lhuillier

If you look at the picture on the krater below, you see the image of Taurus the Bull on the right, and a strange looking man? god? on the left. The man or god has horns, and a light and a dark side. The decorations on one side are straight, on the other side wavy. Is he the dark and light side of the year, an ancestor, a shaman who can traverse dark and light places?

The strange horned figure on the krater, the Green Man, Pan, Satyrs, Cernunnos, and Dionysius are all clues to the potential for radiance. These are creatures integrated into the natural world. Are the horns simply a way of saying that light streams from those who are connected to the spirit of the woods and their own wildness? And how is it that Christianity reflects back the image of Satan, the Devil, a horned angel with the desire to drag us into evil, even though he was once Lucifer, the light bringer?

photo: Bruce Lhuillier

This human embraces his horned companions. He knows his animal nature, and allows the natural rhythm of life to be his teacher. We have lost a tradition of continued transformation beyond physical maturity. The horned gods and godesses remind us of the potential for continued growth.

photo: Bruce Lhuillier

The satyrs wear the crescent of the Moon goddess. The Moon in Taurus is in her ‘exaltation’. Animals with crescent horns are often considered sacred because they remind us of the Moon in her myriad forms.

photo: Bruce Lhuillier

Scorpio Moon belongs to people who are intensely emotional; yet find it difficult to share their emotions. There is often a lack of trust they will be understood. They must learn over time how to communicate the intensity of their thoughts and feelings and not shut them down. A creative form must be found for this Moon sign to release the dark light of what it knows and feels. The Sabian Symbol for this full Moon gives a picture of the ‘inner freedom’ of an evolved Scorpion Moon. ‘Obeying his conscience, a soldier refuses to obey orders.’

photo: Bruce Lhuillier

Each year at this time, Scorpio rises in full Moon to shine upon the beauty of the spring. This is a time of great sexual energy as animals start new families and plants blossom to invite pollinators. Taurus and Scorpio opposite one another in the wheel of the year are both involved in sexuality. Taurus is about fertility, birth and new life. Scorpio is about the power of sexuality to touch our emotional and spiritual centers.

photo: Bruce Lhuillier

In the chart of this full Moon for Wednesday, it is Pluto, the Lord of the Underworld with his companion Juno, who celebrate both ends of the Taurus/Scorpio axis. The Sun visits Taurus at a season of peak fertility and life. Scorpio is the sign of change; sexuality, death, the transformation of the fields and woods, when the harvest is over; the hunt is on. Taurus is ruled by the Lady Venus, warrior Mars rules Scorpio. These energies can be pitted against each other or they can combine to wholeness. Dark and light dance together

photo: Robert Fuhro

The Wisdom Tradition evolved over the centuries to address our deepest human needs. Sarah Fuhro is a practitioner of its many forms; including Astrology, Tarot, Flower Essences and Druidry. In addition to personal consultations, Sarah teaches workshops and private classes, offering both clients and students knowledge powerfully rooted in the past, presented in the language of the present. To learn more, please visit www.sarahfuhro.com.

Once again, the new Moon falls at the final degrees of the Sun’s sign, in this case Taurus. It illustrates the saying: ‘In the end is the beginning; in the beginning is the end. ‘ Moon and Sun come together just before the Sun leaves Taurus, and so offers each of us the opportunity to wrap up old projects, and concerns and to prepare for new perspectives. Taurus is the world in slow motion as, here in New England, we watch the unfurling of green life all around us!

photo: Sarah Fuhro

In my garden, May Apple and Solomon Seal, two local wildflowers open to the Sun, while hardy pansies thrive in their shade. The earth explodes with unleashed fertility. Taurus is ‘ruled’ by Venus, the lady of love and beauty. You can see her footprint everywhere in the green that now covers what only recently was buried in a deep layer of snow. So too, our bodies, brains and hearts are connected to the moods of the seasons. The Sun’s journey through the constellations of the zodiac, takes us along. We experience the deep sensuality of Taurus, and as we approach the airy mental realm of Gemini, we can express and communicate what we have learned in earthy Taurus.

The Moon is ‘exalted’ when she is in Taurus. It’s the perfect Moon to work in the garden! The power of the Moon was fully acknowledged during the Age of Taurus, 5,000 years ago. The Lunar mysteries were ritualized and imaged. Time was measured by the cycle of the Moon, and the fertility of the Moon and earth were acknowledged with deep gratitude!

The new Moon will take place on the cusp between Sunday and Monday May 16-17. Here in the Eastern time zone the moment will be at in the first few minutes of Monday morning, another message about the end and the beginning. Later in the day on Monday, Mercury will turn retrograde in the sign of Gemini. Whatever you been hearing as chatter in your inner ear, may take on an even more powerful voice, as Mercury revisits old territory. When he stands direct he will have traveled back to the degree where he was around May 3rd. Issues left to dangle have a second chance to be resolved. With both Mars and Mercury in airy Gemini, the desire to ‘do something’ is powerful. But sit a moment in this Taurus new Moon and contemplate what stillness might bring.

Jupiter and June are conjunct on May 17-18. They are husband (Zeus) and wife (Hera). Although renowned for their marital battles, this configuration might represent a moment of sweet peace. We are in the process of moving into new notions of sexuality as we enter the Age of Aquarius. Our culture is more open to understanding sex as a spectrum rather than a polarity, with the knowledge we are all a mixture of male and female. Juno and Jupiter form a ‘Yod’ (planetary relationship) with Pluto and Mercury. Mercury is a kind of unisex character himself. The outlet for the Mercury and Juno/Jupiter combination is Pluto who represents a threat or repression when ignored, but empowerment when acknowledged and honored. As the new Moon grows, we may hear more (Mercury’s contribution) about marriage, same-sex marriage, or the role of men and women within marriage.

For each of us, this Yod with the conjunction of Juno and Jupiter represents the opportunity to consider whether we are ready for the sacred marriage (Hieros Gamos) within. This takes place when we release our Plutonic fears of what we would be if we acknowledged male and female elements in equal parts. The Sacred Marriage was a pursuit of the alchemists and of Carl Jung. They followed an ancient path left by the imagery and stories of the marriages between the ancient gods, and between gods and humans. In the alchemical picture below we see the symbol of Gemini. This is the next sign the Sun will enter. Gemini is the location of Mercury and Venus in this chart. Venus, ruler of Taurus is located evenly between the Juno Jupiter pair and Mercury. Through love, will we discover the unifying principle of this process? There are clues here that our bodies are constructed to be both male and female and that the nervous system, ruled by Gemini moves back and forth between positive and negative energies.

The Lovers card from the Rider-Waite Tarot deck is a simplified version of this card. It represents ‘choice,’ and corresponds to the sign of Gemini. At every moment we are given the chance to acknowledge the divinity within and around us.

The Truth About May

Where will the line begin

to tell the truth about May?

Under the wand of the Lady

we are led to deep joy

by way of the road of sorrow.

Sarah Fuhro 1 May 2015

Sarah Fuhro

sarahbeagl@aol.com

Keeping our Ancient Wisdom Alive

The Wisdom Tradition evolved over the centuries to address our deepest human needs. Sarah Fuhro is a practitioner of its many forms; including Astrology, Tarot, Flower Essences and Druidry. In addition to personal consultations, Sarah teaches workshops and private classes, offering both clients and students knowledge powerfully rooted in the past, presented in the language of the present. To learn more, please visit www.sarahfuhro.com.

Libra full Lunar Eclipse 2014 Can you feel the excitement and deep creativity arising at this moment? The chart for the lunar eclipse, which takes place Tuesday, April 15 at 3:42 am is a clear picture of the energy and possibility available to us all! The eclipse will be visible for those of us who live in the Americas, if we have clear skies.

This total lunar eclipse is the first of four total lunar eclipses over the next two years. You can find out more about the astronomical and traditional significance of these eclipses at this site: http://earthsky.org/space/what-is-a-blood-moon-lunar-eclipses-2014-2015. But this tax day eclipse is a cornucopia of excitement and action contained within its planetary patterns. It can already be felt as I write this and will reverberate long afterwards as well. The Moon has several companions, who give an earth consciousness message to this full Moon and eclipse. Ceres is exact to the degree of the Moon and represents the earth as mother, our home and provider. Her Greek name is Demeter, and, she has been involved in the pattern of new and full Moon charts over the last few months and year. She is the mother who mourns for her daughter, Persephone, and who brought winter to the earth in her sorrow.

The other very close companion to Moon and Ceres is Vesta. She is goddess of the hearth, the place where the law of women is found no matter how repressive the outer society. She represents the mysteries of women, which were squashed and supplanted by patriarchal invaders of the Mediterranean region five thousand years ago. In Roman society the vestal virgins were priestesses who kept the fires sacred to Vesta, and performed secret rites as students, and teachers of her mysteries. After thirty years service they could leave, marry and own property. Presently we are in the middle of a conversation about the role of women in society, government and as head of the family. Vesta and Demeter represent two personae that women play everywhere. They are in charge of fertility, food, and new life, but they are also seen as the arbiters of societal relationships and the mystery of the human body and the body of the earth. The crisis around the health of the planet, and our relationship to the earth becomes central as they take center stage with the full Moon this month.

And of course, Moon, Mars, and the two deities, Ceres and Vesta are all located in the sign of Libra, which is about balance, about relationship, about marriage, about justice. Venus, presently sandwiched between Neptune and Chiron in Pisces, rules Libra. The healing power of Chiron is perhaps through the path of universal love (Pisces) and the spiritual power of music and release (Neptune). And now we must look at the very powerful energies of the planetary squares underway. Uranus, the revolutionary, is about to make another perfect square to Pluto—he who will not be ignored or turned back. Uranus is quite violent in Aries, and is at this moment, conjunct Mercury. We have seen a series of angry confrontations between demonstrators, counter demonstrators, police and world leaders. Pluto in Capricorn exacerbates whatever tension exists in corporate and political spheres. From clients and friends I hear of angry clashes in the work place, Capricorn. Mercury, conjunct Uranus in Aries, is not diplomatic, and war talk, between individuals and nations can be expected. Perhaps the fact that Mars (ruler of Aries) is in Libra will balance out the quick and hostile anger that can arise from all this Aries energy! In a few days, Mars, in retrograde, will form an exact grand cross with Uranus, Pluto, and Jupiter. The potential for manifestation of good and bad is great. Jupiter is opposite Pluto in the sign of Cancer. There is an expansion of family concerns. Pluto and Jupiter are brothers. Jupiter rules the upper world; Pluto ruled the underworld. They are equal in power, although not always in visibility. Once again we are given the opportunity to contemplate our relationship to opposite forces. The more we can absorb difference in ourselves and society, the more likely that this can be a time of deep human evolution. With our huge population, we have no choice but to move as lightly as possible, to dance together. This Aries Sun and Libra Moon are symbolic of the forces to harmonize and to differentiate, which we all experience, and must finally move beyond. The Sabian Symbol for the Sun speaks to the moment, and is beautifully illustrated by the Rider-Waite X of Wands: ‘A man possessed of more gifts than he can hold: obsession by potentiality.’

The Sabian Symbol for the Moon can sum up this chart, which ricochets between Aries and Libra, Venus and Mars: ‘An eagle and a large white dove change into each other.’ Sabian Symbols are from An Astrological Mandala by Dane Rudhyar.